Small Steps...Part 2

Last month, I wrote a post called "Small Steps".  In that post, I shared a couple of small steps that I felt were a part of my journey to healing, including the ability to sit through a Relay for Life team captain's meeting without losing it, and finally summoning the emotional stamina to gather up some of Hannah's t-shirts to get a quilt made.  Well, this week, there was a continuation of those same steps.

Yesterday was a very full day.  It began at 6:45 a.m., when we walked into the radio station in Hot Springs.  There are actually several radio stations that broadcast out of this building, and it was interesting walking down the hallway and seeing all the different booths.  We reached our booth and had a few minutes to visit with Dick Antoine, who hosts "Talk of the Town" on weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 a.m.  He did a great job of setting us at ease and making us comfortable.  As soon as the news was over at the top of the hour, we put on our headphones, situated our microphones, and we were on air.  Over the next hour, we had the opportunity to share Hannah's story, talk about the Anchor of Hope Cancer Ministry, and discuss the While We're Waiting Weekends.  I really wasn't nervous until it was over...as we walked out, I realized I was shaking!

The day ended with our monthly Relay for Life team captain's meeting.  I was on the agenda to share "Why I Relay".  Last year, I listened to other people as they shared their stories of "why they relay", and thought to myself, "There is no way I'll ever be able to do that."  I've had the opportunity to share my testimony in a variety settings, and have gotten fairly comfortable doing that.  But Relay for Life meetings are different...more emotional somehow.  When I agreed to share, I really wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do it.  Once again, though...I had nothing to worry about...God stepped in and calmed my nerves, quieted my emotions, and enabled me to share what He had put on my heart.  When will I learn not to doubt Him?

The highlight of my week, though, has been receiving my t-shirt quilt.  I knew it would be good when I saw the quiltmaker's other quilts, but I was completely unprepared for how amazing it really is!  I do have to admit that there is something a little jarring about seeing your daughter's favorite shirts in quilt form, rather than on her where they should be.  Once I got past that (and it was just momentary), I absolutely fell in love with this quilt!  I'm just going to let the pictures speak for themselves....

A precious lady (and fellow OBU alum...just a few years before my time!) from Sparkman made this quilt.  I love the color combinations and polka dot material she used.  Polka dots were Hannah's favorite.

 The quiltmaker was so sweet...after she showed me the t-shirt quilt, she said, "I just couldn't bear to throw the scraps away...so I made a rag quilt out of them."  It is beautiful, and so soft and cozy...Bethany immediately claimed it when she saw it.  I love that she will have a quilt of her own to treasure.  She's been sleeping with it ever since she got it.

 Odyssey of the Mind was a huge part of Hannah's life from third through fifth grade.  Here's an assortment of some of her OM t-shirts, along with her Science Club t-shirt.  I love how she put these together into one block, and then made the cross pieces out of another of Hannah's shirts.

 This is the back of one of her t-shirts with all of her classmate's signatures on it.  If you look carefully, you can see her name near the middle of the pawprint.

 Of course, we had to include a t-shirt from Arkansas Children's Hospital.  Whenever you're an inpatient there, you receive one of these when you check out.  I think every member of our family has one.  We love ACH!

 This t-shirt was from the Disciple Now event in 2007 where Hannah prayed for a storm.  The Greek letters mean "No Other Name."  This shirt is very special to us.

 Hannah loved going to the Ozark Conference Center for church camp during the years we lived in El Dorado.  She absolutely loved that place!  She tie-dyed this shirt during one of her stays there.

 This was Hannah's favorite Odyssey of the Mind t-shirt...It was designed by her best friend, Brittany.

 Hannah often wore this shirt to her treatments at ACH and CARTI.  One of my favorites.

 We had this shirt airbrushed at a tourist trap in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on a family vacation when the girls were little. 

 A couple more of Hannah's favorite shirts...Hot Springs Baptist Church Fall Retreat '07, and the Magnet Cove Fellowship of Christian Athletes. 

 One of Hannah's favorite shirts...She wore it a lot, so of course, it had to be in the quilt.

 These little squares which were between all the blocks also came from one of Hannah's favorite shirts.

Hannah's Grandma Nina got this shirt for her.  I love how the cross looks like it's made out of Band-Aids. 

And I love knowing that, even though Hannah's healing did not take the form that we would have chosen, she is now fully healed, and in the presence of Jesus.  And for that, I am grateful.